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Fokker 50

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Fokker 50 / Fokker 60
Fokker 50
Role Airliner
Manufacturer Fokker
First flight 28 December 1985
Introduction 1987
Status Operational
Primary users CityJet
KLM Cityhopper
Air Baltic
Avianca
Produced 1987 - 1997
Number built 213
Developed from Fokker F27

The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner, designed as a refinement of and successor to the highly successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50. Both aircraft were built by Fokker in the Netherlands. The Fokker 60 has also been used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force and now they are in service with the Peruvian Naval Aviation.

Development

Fokker 50

The Fokker 50 was designed after sales of the Fokker F27 Friendship, which had been in continual production since 1958, were beginning to decline by the 1980s. Fokker management, notably Frans Swarttouw, decided that aircraft with aerodynamic and avionics updates, derived from both the Fokker F27 and the Fokker F28 were sensible.[citation needed] Design of the Fokker 50 started in 1983, with DLT and Ansett Airlines of Australia being launch customers.

File:Palestinianfolker.jpg
A Palestinian Airlines Fokker at El Arish International Airport.
An Air Iceland Fokker 50 in Reykjavik

Fokker built two prototypes derived from F27 airframes, the first of which flew for the first time on 28 December 1985.[1] Certification of the Fokker 50 by the Dutch aviation authority RLD was successfully completed in 1987 and the first production aircraft was delivered to DLT of Germany. Production ended in 1996 after the Fokker Aircraft Company went into liquidation, with the last aircraft delivered the following year.[1] By the end of the program, 213 Fokker 50s had been produced. As of August 2006 a total of 171 Fokker 50 aircraft remain in airline service. Major operators include: Avianca (10) Malaysia Airlines (10) (now operated by Maswings and Firefly), Denim Air (12), Skyways Express (18) and VLM Airlines (20). Some 27 other airlines including Air Astana also operate smaller numbers of the type.[2]

Fokker 60

The Fokker 60 is stretched 1.62 m (5.31 ft) longer than the F50 for a total length of 26.87 m (88.16 ft). It has a large cargo door on the right side immediately behind the cockpit. Only four examples were built, all of them delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air Force. All of them were part of 334 Squadron based at Eindhoven airbase (EIN/EHEH). They were used to transport equipment and soldiers. Paradrops were done as well. Another 60 were under construction but never completed, due to Fokker's bankruptcy. Two of the Fokker 60s (U-01, U-03) were converted in 2005 to Maritime Patrol aircraft as a temporary solution when the Royal Netherlands Navy P-3 Orions were phased out due to budget cuts. They were stationed at Hato AB Curaçao, until they were replaced by civil DHC-8 aircraft in October 2007. When the Royal Netherlands Air Force decided to buy two extra Lockheed C-130s, the Fokker 60s were phased out. The four Fokker 60 that were stored at Woensdrecht Air Base were sold to the Peruvian Naval Aviation, the first two planes were delivered on June 8th, 2010 and the second batch of two planes are delivered at the end of 2010.

Design

The Fokker 50 was based on the stretched F27-500 airframe, but with a larger number of smaller windows in the fuselage and a two-wheel nose gear.

Basic construction of the fuselage, wings and empennage (tail) remained unchanged apart from strengthening the various sections where required. The wing was equipped with upturned ailerons and wingtips, effectively acting as wing endplates or winglets.

The major design change from the Fokker F27 was in the engines, and in equipping the aircraft with an electronic flight and engine-management system. The original Rolls-Royce Darts in various marks of basically 1,268-1715 kW (1,700-2,300 hp) was replaced with two more fuel efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PW124 powerplants of 1,864 kW (2,500 hp) each, driving six-bladed Dowty Rotol propellers.

The Fokker 50 can carry up to 62 passengers over a range of 2,000 km (1,243 mi, 1,080 nmi) at a typical speed of 530 km/h (329 mph, 286 kn), a 50 km/h (31 mph, 27 kn) increase over the Fokker F27.

Variants

Interior of a Fokker 50 of Skyways Express

Fokker 50

F27 Mark 050
Marketed as the Fokker 50 (or sometimes referred to as the Fokker 50-100), based on the F27 Mark 500 with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW125B or PW127B turboprop engines with six-bladed propellers, updated systems and cockpit instrumentations, increased use of composite structure, double the number of windows, change from pneumatic to hydraulic systems and addition of an electronic engine and propeller controls and electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) and integrated warning system.[3]
F27 Mark 0502
Marketed as the Fokker 50, same as the 050 with reconfigured interior layout and change in type of aft emergency exits, six built (two for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, two for the Singapore Air Force and two for Brunei).[3]

Fokker 60

F27 Mark 0604
Marketed as the Fokker 60, same as the 0502 with an increased fuselage length (1.02 m/3.34 ft in front of wing and 0.80 m/2.63 ft aft of wing), increased design weight and introduction of a large cargo door in the forward right side of the fuselage. Two Pratt & Whitney PW127B turboprop engines, four built.[3]

Operators

As of August 2009 168 aircraft are still in operational use with airlines.[4]

Fokker 50 civil operators

airBaltic Fokker 50 at Riga International Airport
Fokker 50 - Ethiopian Airlines at Lalibela airport

Fokker 50 military and government operators

Fokker 50 - Royal Netherlands Air Force

The following governments or military operators currently fly the Fokker 50 in passenger or cargo roles:[5]

 Netherlands
 Republic of China
 Singapore

Former operators

Regional services were flown by Malaysia Airlines using Fokker 50s until the takeover by FlyAsianXpress and subsequently MASwings
Fokker 50 of Ansett Express at Perth Airport (mid 1990s).
 Angola
 Australia
 Austria
 Brazil
 Estonia
 Germany
 India
 Ireland
 Kenya
 Luxembourg
 Malaysia
 Netherlands
 Nigeria
 Norway
 Philippines
 Spain
 Taiwan
 United Kingdom

Fokker 60 Military Operators

 Peru

Former Operators

 Netherlands

Accidents and incidents

Specifications (series 100)

Data from airlines.net[6]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2 (flight deck crew)
  • Capacity: up to 58 passengers
  • Length: 25.25 m (82 ft 10 in)
Foker 60: 26.87 m (88.16 ft)
  • Wingspan: 29 m (95 ft 2 in)
  • Height: 8.32 m (27 ft 4 in)
  • Wing area: 70 m2 (750 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 12,250 kg (27,007 lb)
  • zero fuel weight: 18,600 kg (41,006 lb)
  • Gross weight: 18,597 kg (41,000 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 20,820 kg (45,900 lb)
Foker 60: 22,950 kg (50,596 lb)
Foker 60: 2x 1,953 kW (2,619 hp) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127B turboprop engines

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 560 km/h (350 mph, 300 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 530 km/h (330 mph, 290 kn)
Foker 60: 469 km/h (291 mph)
  • Range: 2,055 km (1,277 mi, 1,110 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 7,620 m (25,000 ft)

Armament
2 × AGM-84D Harpoon missiles and radar, sonar systems (Republic of Singapore Air Force Fokker 50s)

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

References

  1. ^ a b Airliners.net Fokker 50 page. Retrieved: 10 November 2008
  2. ^ Flight International, 3–9 October 2006
  3. ^ a b c EASA Type Certificate
  4. ^ "World Airliner Census". Flight International: 37–59. 2009-08-18.
  5. ^ Fokker Services - F50 Operators
  6. ^ airlines.net
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